The King of Lochlin's Three Daughters facts for kids

"The King of Lochlin's Three Daughters" is an exciting Scottish fairy tale. It was written down by a man named John Francis Campbell in his book Popular Tales of the West Highlands. He heard the story from a fisherman named Neill Gillies, who lived near Inverary. This tale is all about adventure, bravery, and how kindness can lead to great rewards.

The King's Daughters are Taken

The story begins with a big problem: three huge giants have kidnapped the King of Lochlin's three daughters! The king's wise advisor, called a sheanachy, said there was only one way to rescue them. They needed a special ship that could travel both over the sea and across land.

The Brothers' Quest

A widow had three sons. Her oldest son decided he would try to build this magical ship. He asked his mother to bake him a bannock (a type of flat bread) and roast a chicken for his journey. His mother gave him a choice: a small bannock with her blessing, or a large one without it. He chose the large one, thinking it was better. On his way, he met an uruisg (a friendly, hairy creature from Scottish folklore). The uruisg asked for some food, but the son refused to share. When he tried to cut wood for the ship, every tree he chopped down magically reattached itself to its roots! He couldn't cut any wood.

His middle brother tried next, doing the exact same thing, and had the same problem. The trees wouldn't stay cut.

The Youngest Son's Kindness

Finally, the youngest son decided to try. He chose the small bannock with his mother's blessing. When he met the uruisg, he kindly shared his food. The uruisg was grateful and told him to go home. He said to come back in exactly one year and one day. When the youngest son returned, a wonderful ship was waiting for him! It was floating there, ready to go, with a crew and even some gentlemen who hoped to marry the king's daughters.

Meeting Special Friends

As they sailed, the youngest son and his crew met some very unusual people:

• They found a man who was drinking an entire river! The youngest son invited him to join their crew.
• Next, they met a man who was eating all the stots (young bulls) in a field, planning to eat every single one. He also joined them.
• Then, they found a man who could hear the grass growing! This amazing listener joined the group too.

Facing the Giants

The listener used his special ability. He listened carefully and announced that they had found the place where the giants were keeping the king's daughters! They all went down into the giants' lair using a creel (a large basket).

The first giant appeared. He said they couldn't have the first daughter unless they had a man who could drink as much as he could. The man who drank rivers stepped forward. He drank and drank, and before he was even full, the giant burst!

The second giant then challenged them. He said they couldn't have the second daughter unless they had a man who could eat as much as he could. The man who ate stots stepped up. He ate and ate, and before he was full, the second giant also burst!

A Difficult Choice

The third giant was different. He said they could have the last daughter, but only if the youngest son agreed to be his slave for one year and one day. The youngest son bravely agreed. He sent the king's daughters and the servants back to the ship. The gentlemen took the daughters to the king and falsely claimed that they had rescued them.

Serving the Giant and Escaping

After his year and a day of service, the giant gave the youngest son a mighty eagle to fly him out of the giant's underground home. He also gave him meat to feed the eagle during the long flight. But the meat wasn't enough, and the eagle had to turn back. The giant demanded another year and a day of service.

This happened again! After a second year and a day, the giant gave him the eagle and more meat, but it still wasn't enough.

Finally, after a third year and a day, the giant sent him off with even more meat. This time, it was almost enough. When the eagle needed just a little more, the brave son cut a piece of meat from his own thigh to feed it. The eagle finished the flight and landed safely. It then gave the son a special whistle that could summon it whenever he needed help.

The Truth Revealed

The son went to work for a blacksmith as a gillie (a servant or helper). The princesses, who were now back at the palace, asked the smith to make them crowns exactly like the ones they had when they were the giants' prisoners. The smith had no idea what these crowns looked like. But the youngest son, using his magic whistle, had the eagle fetch the exact crowns from the giant's castle!

The princesses were amazed. The king wanted to know where the smith learned to make such unique crowns. The smith confessed that his gillie, the youngest son, had made them. The king sent his servants to bring the gillie to him.

The first set of servants were very rude and threw the son roughly into the carriage. The son blew his whistle, and the eagle appeared, taking him off and filling the carriage with heavy stones. The king was almost crushed by the falling stones, and those rude servants were punished. Another set of servants came, were just as rude, and delivered a coach full of dirt!

Finally, the king's trusted personal servant came. He spoke kindly to the son, told him the king wanted to see him, and suggested he wash up. Then, he gently helped him into the carriage. The son blew his whistle again, and the eagle brought him beautiful gold and silver clothing from the giant's castle.

Dressed in his fine clothes, the youngest son told the king the true story of how he rescued the daughters. The gentlemen who had falsely claimed to be the heroes were punished. The youngest son, the true hero, married the oldest daughter and lived happily ever after.